Hair Fairies News Releases

Hair Fairies Opens 13th Lice Salon in Charlotte

Charlotte – August 3, 2017 Hair Fairies CEO Maria Botham can barely contain her excitement. “This is huge for us,” she says when asked about their newest salon, opening its doors in August in South Charlotte. “We just love this area and this community. It’s a great fit.”

Maria’s success building Hair Fairies from a one-woman mobile lice treatment clinic into a national business with 13 locations across the country leaves plenty to be excited about. For more than 20 years she has honed her craft – and her vision – for the benefit of thousands of families.

“Our business works because we are focused on providing the best possible experience to our clients,” she says. “We know that Charlotte residents expect the best, and we strive to provide that. We have free Wi-Fi, coffee, and a lice treatment technique that is the best in the industry. We use our own all-natural, non-toxic products, which we have developed over our 20 years in business.”

But perhaps no one is more excited than Margie Pimentel, a veteran Hair Fairies manager since 2007, who made the decision to move to Charlotte to open and manage the company’s newest salon. She is bringing along her two sons, who will be attending Providence High School in the fall.

“A lot of my best friends have moved to Charlotte over the past 10 years,” Margie says. “They love it here, and so do I! I have been visiting Charlotte 3-4 times a year for a long time. I have been here so often that I even helped scout out the location!”

She chose well. Nestled in a cozy corner of Providence Plaza in the Providence Park neighborhood of South Charlotte, Hair Fairies is perfectly positioned to serve Charlotte families. The plaza is already home to a pediatrician’s office, Providence Preparatory School, two hair salons, and a martial arts school.

“What am I most excited about? The schools, the community, and the opportunity to help an underserved population with a clean, upscale solution,” says Margie. “We know head lice is a problem, and we don’t want people to have to suffer any more than they already are. Having lice is hard enough without prolonging the suffering with home remedy treatments or OTC chemicals that do more harm than good. Treatment should be the easy part.”

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – On July 17, 2017, Delta Airlines removed a family of four from one of their aircraft after discovering one of the family members had lice. The decision by Delta airlines to remove the Travis family because of head lice was both unfortunate and uninformed. While we acknowledge that the airline has every right to remove passengers as they see fit, we believe this was a gross over-reaction based on ignorance of head lice and its properties.

Head lice are very misunderstood; we encounter frantic families daily that are panicked not only because they don’t know how to rid themselves or their children of lice, but they also feel guilty for having allowed it to happen. The stigma of head lice is very powerful, and discovering it in your children can feel very overwhelming.

But the stigma is the most powerful part. Like so many things in life. much of the negativity and fear surrounding head lice could be assuaged by simply becoming more informed. Head lice are easy to treat, don’t jump or fly, can’t live on a couch, pillow, or airplane seat, and are not signs of unwashed or unclean hair.

Below are some very important points from our FAQ page to remember about head lice:

Head Lice ARE:

1 of the top 3 reasons kids miss school.

Extremely common! Between 6-12 million U.S. kids 3-11 years old get head lice each year.

Head lice do not discriminate, and they cross all demographics. They’re also very common and they love clean hair. Head lice can be disturbing, but they’re not a health hazard and don’t spread any disease.

We encourage Delta and other airlines to update their policies regarding head lice to reflect facts, not stigma. Head lice itself is not a reason for embarrassment, but discriminating against families for having it definitely is. We at Hair Fairies stand ready to help.

“We started our company in the 90’s with a commitment to non-toxic, plant based products, and have never looked back,” said Maria Botham, owner and CEO of Hair Fairies. “Not only do our products work well, they are safe, unlike many of the OTC medications that are toxic and still don’t work. We’re pleased to see the FDA underscoring the importance of safer alternatives. ”

Super Lice
The FDA says it wants to encourage the development of new treatments in light of increasing resistance to commonly used treatments such as lindane and pyrethroids. Two new strains of lice have developed gene mutations that make them resistant to these chemicals in common over-the-counter products.

“We use essential oils that lice hate, such as extracts of Aloe Vera, Arnica, Chamomile, Cucumber, Linden, Marshmallow Root, Rose Hips, Fennel and Clary Sage. These are proven time and time again, to be not only safe, but also highly effective in treating head lice and eggs and preventing their return,” said Botham.

Dangerous Treatment
The FDA guidelines warn drug sponsors to look out for both local and systemic safety issues, and monitor for known complications including neurotoxicity, neonatal toxicity and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. More than 70 percent of people admit to over and misuse, which could result in side effects such as skin rashes, asthma-like symptoms, and respiratory reactions like rhinitis, swelling of the mouth and larynx, coughing and wheezing.

About Hair Fairies
Hair Fairies™ , established in 1999, is headquartered in Los Angeles, with salons in Seattle, Portland, Burlingame, Washington, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, New York, San Francisco and San Diego. They also have a Mobile Care Head Lice Treatment. Hair Fairies products are 100 percent natural, non-toxic and plant-based. They are made in small batches to keep the ingredients fresh and are manufactured using eco-conscious packaging. The company offers free educational information and free screenings; treatment may be reimbursable by medical insurance. Hair Fairies also created a nonprofit entity, Pediatric Scalp Care Specialists, which provides free services to underserved families, along with education for parents, school administrators, physicians and the public about head lice.